The Ultimate ‘Castle Rock’ Guide to Every Stephen King Easter Egg and Reference

Set in the fictional town created by Stephen King, Hulu’s Castle Rockis, as you might imagine, filled with references to the master of horror’s works. Although not a direct adaptation of any one King novel, Castle Rock feels like it could be thanks to the various connections and easter eggs. From the inclusion of recurring novel character Alan Pangborn to the mystical concept of alternate universes, we’ve collected every easter egg and reference in one handy video detailing how and where Castle Rock fits into the King-iverse.

King’s Constant Readers will have surely noticed several major — and minor — references to the author’s written and filmed works. There are a handful of obvious ones, like Shawshank Prison and Jackie Torrance (played by Jane Levy), as well as some smaller easter eggs like the recurrence of the number 19 — which holds a special significance in King’s canon — and the Jerusalem’s Lot bus stop. But did you also spot the references to the Maine radio station owned by King himself? How about when Bill Skarsgard’s mysterious “The Kid” hears someone whisper “Wanna see a body?” — a reference to King’s short story that inspired Stand By Me.

Speaking of the cast, Castle Rock is populated by a handful of actors who have appeared in other King movies and shows: Sissy Spacek (Carrie), Melanie Lynskey (Rose Red), Frances Conroy (The Mist TV series), and Chosen Jacobs and Bill Skarsgard — both of whom appear in the recent hit adaptation of IT. By casting actors we’ve seen in other adaptations, Castle Rock creators Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason pay homage to King’s concept of “twinners” — doppelgängers from alternate universes — which also factors prominently into the series.

It also underscores the series’ relation to The Dark Tower — King’s magnum opus, in which all universes are connected to a massive tower via psychic beams. In those books, King explains that “all things serve the beam,” which is to say that all worlds (the literary ones he created and the fictional worlds within those creations) are connected. Castle Rock may not directly reference The Dark Tower (though the “schismas” sound an awful lot like King’s concept of “thinnies” — areas where the borders between worlds are thinner and more easily breached), but the way it incorporates references and characters feels like it’s working in service of the beam.

We explore all this — and so much more — in the latest ScreenCrush video hosted by Ryan Arey. For more video essays and easter egg guides, subscribe to our YouTube channel — and if you enjoyed this one, give it a like and check out some of our other Stephen King videos below: